Summary - TTFC Canada 2022

There is greater focus on deployment of open loop and account-based ticketing systems for transit payments in Canada. Transit agencies and operators in cities such as Brantford, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, Laval, Mississauga, Montreal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg have either introduced contactless payment systems or are in the process of transitioning to such systems by introducing bank cards and mobile ticketing for public transport payments.

The objective is to improve customer travel experience by introducing ‘touchless’ payment systems especially in a Covid environment, reduce cash handling costs and fare evasion, boost revenue collection, ensure greater operational efficiency, increase ridership and lower costs. Advanced fare collection (AFC) systems also provide valuable data analytics for network planning, operations management, vehicle capacity control, and customer-focussed solutions.

New transportation business models such as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), on-demand mobility, and shared mobility including ride-sharing and car-sharing, ride-hailing, micro-mobility, and bike-sharing are expected to change the ticketing landscape in the coming years. That said, this transition is raising a new set of challenges pertaining to data protection and privacy, integration and interoperability, managing stakeholders, and legal frameworks to establish formal cooperation.

To better understand the trends, developments, opportunities, innovations and challenges associated with the deployment of contactless transit ticketing technology in Canada, Global Mass Transit is organising a virtual conference on ‘Transit Ticketing & Fare Collection in Canada’ on April 7, 2022.

The mission of this conference is to discuss key emerging trends in the transit ticketing and fare collection systems industry in Canada especially given the impact of Covid, plans of transit agencies and operators to introduce a ‘touchless’ travel experience, strategies to revive ridership, opportunities, best practices, solutions to key challenges, and the way forward. It will also showcase noteworthy case studies and key technologies.

The one-day virtual conference will have eight live sessions, panel discussions and case studies, with a wide array of experts providing valuable insights and actionable advice to introduce contactless ticketing, highlighting developments and opportunities, and offering solutions to enhance the customer experience. The conference will also help participants understand the role of government departments, transit agencies, operators, fare system providers, hardware and software suppliers, acquirers and technology suppliers in establishing advanced, integrated, and interoperable ticketing systems.

The conference will bring together experts from transit agencies and operators, policymakers, provincial and local government officials, system integrators, technology and service provider firms, smartcard companies, technology and equipment manufacturers, mobile ticketing vendors, credit card companies, data architecture and IT firms, fare collection system suppliers, dynamic multiservice journey planners, taxi fleet operators, ride-hailing and ride-sharing service providers, micro-mobility providers, ticketing infrastructure providers, industry consultants, research and development organisations, financiers, technical institutes, etc.

Current status of transit fare payment systems in Canada, key technologies
Key emerging trends and future outlook
Impact of Covid-19, developing a ‘touchless’ travel experience
Plans of transit agencies and operators for deploying contactless payment technology
Project delivery and financing models
Best practices in procurement and technology selection
Benefits and challenges pertaining to the integration and interoperability of ticketing systems
Strategies to grow ridership and increase revenue
Opportunities in the deployment of contactless payment technology
Integration of mobile ticketing with the existing infrastructure
Potential of bank cards for transit ticketing, business models and strategies
Partnerships among transit agencies, mobile operators and financial institutions
Benefits of account-based ticketing (ABT) and open loop payment systems
Transit ticketing certifications and standards
Transit ticketing and MaaS
Impact of new transportation business models such as on-demand mobility and shared mobility (ride-sharing, car-sharing, ride-hailing, micro-mobility, bike-sharing) on public transit and fare collection systems
New ticket media and ticketing models
Emergence of disruptive technologies for transit ticketing systems
Common platforms for payment processing and data sharing
Use of fare systems data for customer service and operations optimisation
Data generation, data sharing, data analysis and privacy
Going beyond transit ticketing to provide value-added services to customers